Railway-signal-operating mechanism.



. PATENTED OUT. 24, 1905.

F. P. J. PATENALL. RAILWAY $IGNAL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 24. 1906.

FRANK P. J. PATENALL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAlLWAY-SlGNAL-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, '1905.

Application filed February 24, 1905. Serial No. 247,134.

To (tZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK P. J. PATENALL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signal Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to operating mechanism for railway-signals, and particularly for visual signals.

By the term signal used herein I mean to include a visual signal device which by its color or by its position relatively to its support gives indication of the service condition of the railroad-track or section of railroadtrack which it governs.

I will describe an operating mechanism for railway-signals embodying my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The broad idea involved in my invention is to employ two signal-operating levers, with a single line of connections between the signal and both levers, the connections operating in such manner that when the operating-levers are at one extreme limit of their movement the signal will be held to indicate danger and when at their other extreme limit of movement the signal will be held to indicate safety, and when one lever is at one of its extreme positions and the other lever at the opposite extreme position the line of connections, or some part thereof, will have moved about half the distance of which they are capable of moving, and for the sake of brevity this movement will be termed the interme diate movement of the line of connections. This intermediate movement may be utilized to move the signal to an intermediate point or it may be used to operate a switch-locking device without affecting the signal.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are views, partly in perspective and partly in elevation, showing a railway-signal with operating mechanism embodying my invention, the signal and the operating devices being in different positions in each figure. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are similar views of asignal, amodified form of operating mechanism, and aswitch-locking mechanism, shown diagrammatically, the operating mechanism being shown in a different position in each figure and the signal in the same position in Figs. 4 and 5 and in a different position in Fig. 6.

A and A indicate angle-levers to be pivoted at their angles a a in any suitable mannerfor instance, as shown in the drawings, on a rod a which in practice may be supported in any approved manner. It is to be, understood that these levers are intended to be locked in the several positions they are designed to occupy in operating the signal. For example, each may be provided with a latch adapted to engage notches in a quadrant in a well -known manner. Such details of construction, however, form no part of the present invention and are not illustrated, it being necessary only to show the different positions the levers will occupy in operating the signals. It is also to be understood that the several parts of the connection between the levers and the signal will be suitably supported and guided wherever necessary.

B indicates a floating lever connected at its ends to the short arms of the levers A and A, and a rod 6 is connected at one end to the lever B, about midway between the levers A and A, and at its other end to one arm of a bell-crank lever c. The construction so far described is the same in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and ,3, the other arm of the crank-lever c is connected to one end of a rod (Z, the other end of which is connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 12, pivoted on the signal-post f or on a support adjacent thereto. The other arm of the cranklever e is connected to one end of a verticallymovable rod 9, the other end of which is conneeted to the counterweight It of a semaphoresignal H.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 a rod (Z is connected to the bell-crank lever c to have the same movement as the rod (Z. In place of a bell-crank lever c a three-armed lever c is pivoted upon or adjacent to the signal-post, the arms being indicated, respectively, by 1, 2, and 3,

the arm 8 being connected to the rod ,r in the same manner as the arm of the crank-lever e in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The rod d is not directly connected to the lever a; but it is provided with a roller d, which normally is in contact with the arm 1 of the lever 6 near its outer end, as shown in Fig. 3, said arm being normally parallel to the rod d. At the junction of the arms 1 and 2 of the lever e a curved notch or-recess e is formed for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to.

- and so turn the signal on its pivot.

it indicates a locking-rod connected to the switch-rails Z, and m indicates a locking-bar connected to the rod (Z to cooperate with the locking-rod is for locking or unlocking the switch-rails Z. l have not deemed it necessary to specifically illustrate this locking device; but it will preferably be of such type that the intermediate movement of the connection will lock the switch without changing the signal indication and also that the rails will be locked at the extreme reversed movement of the connection.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the positions indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, which may be assumed to be their normal positions, with the levers A and A and the line of connections at one of the extreme pointsof their movement, if the lever A is pulled back to the position it occupies in Fig. 2 the joint between the lever A and the floating lever B will act as a fulcrum for the lever B and the end thereof connected to lever A will be lifted, thereby moving the crank 0 to the position shown in: Figs. 2 and 5. This constitutes what I term an intermediate movement of part of the line of connections, and in Figs. 1, 2, and '3 this movement is utilized to move the signal to a position indicating caution, such movement being effected by the crank-lever o pulling the rod (Z toward the levers,and thereby causing the crank-lever e to push the rod g upwardly, In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, however, this intermediate movement is utilized to operate the switch-lock in some manner and, as before stated, preferably to lock it, While it will not affect the position of the signal. This latter is by reason of the movement of the roller 6Z2 on the rod (Z along the arm 1 of the lever 6 into the recess 6 as shown in Fig. 5. If now the lever A be moved to its other extreme position, the same as oocupied by lever A, the joint between the lever A and the floating lever B will become a fulcrum for the latter, and the end of the lever B connected to the lever A will be lifted,thereby lifting the rod Z) andturning the crank c to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5, andthis movement will result in moving the signal to indicate safety, the crank-lever e and the threearmed lever 6 assuming the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and in the structure shown in 'Figs.'4, 5, and 6 the switch-lock will also be operated, and, as before stated, preferably to lock the switch. In this position the arm 2 of the lever e rests upon the roller (V- and holds up the counterweight 71.. To move the signal back again to danger position, one of the levers A A is pushed forward, and in the structure shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the signal will be moved to indicate caution, while in the structure shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 this movement willcause the roller (Z to travel along the arm 2 of the lever 0 until it is opposite the recess a, and the counterweight It will at once return the signal to position to indicate danger, While the movement of the bar (Z will operate the switch-lock. By pushing the other signal-operating lever forward the signal will be moved to danger position by the arrangement shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, while in the arrangement shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 the further movement of the rod (Z will not affect the position of the signal, but will only operate the switch-lock.

It will thus be seen that when the parts of the operating mechanism are at one of the points of limit of their movement-that is, when thelsignal indicates safety the intermediate movement of the operating devices will change the position of indication of the signal in both of the forms illustrated-that is, in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the signal will move from safety to caution and in Figs. 4,

5, and 6 from safety to danger, and that in the latter the switch-lock will also be operated by the intermediate movement.

What I claim as my invention isl. The combination of a signal, a pair of signal-operating levers, and a single line of connections between the signal and both operating-levers so arranged that the movement of one of said operating-levers from one of its extreme positions to the other will move said connections to a position intermediate the two extreme positions to which they can be moved by both levers.

2. The combination of a signal, a pair of signal-operating levers, a floating lever connected to both levers, and a single line of rigid connections between said floating lever and the signal, whereby a positive movement of the line of rigid connections may be effected by a movement of one or both of the said operating-levers in either direction,substantially as described.

3. The combination of a signal, a pair of signal-operating levers, a switch-lock, and a single line of connections between both operatinglevers and the switch-lock and signal, so arranged that the movement of one of said levers from one of its extreme positions to the other will move the connections to a position intermediate the two extreme positions to which they can be moved by both levers, and such intermediate movement of the connections operating the switch-lock but retaining the indication of the signal.

- 4. The combination of a signal, a pair of signal-operating levers, a floating lever connected to both operating-levers, a crank-lever connected to the floating lever, a switch-lock, and

a single line of connections between the floating lever, the switch-lock and the signal for operating the signal and switch-lock simultaneously or for operating the switch-lock only.

5. The combination of a signal, a pair of signal-operating levers, a switch-lock, a floating bar connected to both levers, a crank-lever connected to the floating lever, a pivoted three- IIC armed lever, having a curved recess at the Intestimony WhereofIhavesigned mynarne junction of tWo of its arms, a rod connecting I to this specification in the presence of two subthe other of said arms to the signal, a rod coni scribed Witnesses.

nected to said crank-lever and to the switch- I FRANK l. J. PATENALL. lock and a roller carried by said rod to en- Witnesses: v gag-e the said two arms of the lever having the J] A. BREWER,

recess at their junction. GEO. M. KIMBERLY. 

